Hela and Hel
by Keta97
Summary: While she lay there, trying to fall asleep again, Hela felt as if she didn't have only one body, but that they were in fact separated and lay there next to each other, Hela and Hel. (Hela Character study)


**Note: I always saw Hela as a character with an internal conflict, but only recently I decided to take it into the extreme: the slip-personality syndrom. That's why I think this is less of a story and more of a character-study. I wanted to settle the basic idea (for myself just as much as you) of Hela's behaviour and mental lability.**

* * *

She was trembling as she cried, with pain and fear. Her golden hair had fallen in her face, but she pushed it away as she lifted a hand to wipe away the tears. She'd been screaming before, but now she was only sobbing loudly. She'd lowered her eyes and didn't dare to look up.

Hela was standing over her, watching her silently with the one eye that wasn't covered with her long dark hair. Her calmness was only a pretense though. The truth was that she was unsure and confused.

Inger, - that was the girl's name – had never before shown any interest in Hela. It almost seemed that she doesn't acknowledge her existence. Hela couldn't resent her for it. Many people did the same. Hela herself sometimes wished she wouldn't exist. But that didn't matter. Today Inger's behavior changed. Maybe it was something her parents of friends told her. She decided to make fun of Hela while they were waiting in the hall for a needlework lesson. (Boys were educated in combat and girls in art.)

At first, she was just commenting from afar so as that Hela could hear her perfectly – she criticized her clothes, her looks and behavior. She complained that Hela acts cold and unfriendly, so none can make friends with her (as if someone actually _wanted!_). Then she even dared to insult Hela's family.

"Your mother wasn't Asgardian! Your dad's unfaithful! Your brothers are animals!" yelled Inger. Hela didn't care. Her face didn't betray any emotions. _She'll tire of it soon_, she told herself.

But her calmness made Inger wild. Her insults were increasingly cruel until she finally crossed the distance and ran to Hela, screaming: "You could at least look at me when I'm talking to you!" Then she reached out and pushed Hela's black hair back to uncover the right half of her face.

What happened then seemed to Hela like a dream, lost with dawn. That was why she now felt so confused, standing over Inger. She wasn't entirely sure why is Inger's body covered with cuts and bruises...

"What's going on here?" some voice thundered. Hela turned around and fear made her chest tighten when she caught sight of Thor. Despite the fact that Thor was her uncle, he always distanced himself from her just like any other resident of Asgard. The prospect of explaining what happened when she didn't _know_ terrified her.

Luckily, the others who watched the whole incident were more than happy to do the talking for her.

"Hela did it!" they shouted. "She beat Inger!"

Thor frowned at her and bent down to the weeping Inger. He helped her to her feet and when he saw how she's trembling, he pulled her to his side protectively. Before he could speak, one of the girls spoke up.

"Inger was making fun of Hela and she was ignoring her, but then Inger touched her – only touched her, nothing else! And suddenly Hela attacked her, like a wild beast! She acted like an animal, she threw Inger on the ground, kicking and scratching and beating her with fists. And screaming the whole time."

Some other girl added: "No, not screaming. Laughing. She was laughing terribly." And she shivered.

Hela was listening to them in astonishment.

"Is it true, Hela?" Thor asked her harshly, but he sounded like he didn't really care about her answer because he had created his own opinion by now.

"It's not!" Hela answered truthfully and wanted to cry over the unfairness of it. "I would never do something like that!"

A few children that still dared to look at her lifted their gazes and stared at her, confused or astonished. Even Thor seemed mildly surprised, but mainly he looked disgusted.

"If it isn't the truth, then what has happened, Hela?" he asked.

Hela shook her head, desperately. She had no idea what had happened. It was like trying to picture a dream that had long before slipped her mind. What does Thor expect her to know? He must realize that Hela didn't do anything!

"Come, I'll bring you to your father," Thor spat out the word as if it was poison. "After something so serious he could finally realize how unruly you are."

She felt a pinch of satisfaction at the fact that he decided to bring her to her dad. She was sure that he will understand. Surely, he will tell Thor how it happened and that Hela is innocent. It was the only hope she had left. The only comfort keeping her safe from the ocean of fear of things she couldn't explain.

* * *

It had been only a few months since Angrboda died and her three children moved with Loki to Asgard. Across the course of the first month they were hiding and their presence was known only to Odin because nothing could ever escape his gaze. At some point during the second month they met Sigyn, Loki's friend. At first she was just keeping them company and helped to silence their cries when Loki wasn't there but in the end she got used to them so much that eventually she decided that they should be educated just like any other kids. She managed to convince Loki and so it was settled. Four months after her mother's death Hela was forced to pretend to be a part of a group of young dreaming girls who never knew pain or sorrow in their lives.

Hela didn't find friends among them. Not only she felt no desire to talk to anybody but neither did she want to watch them avoid her deformed half. Whenever her right hand with dark wrinkled skin slipped out of its sleeve in front of their eyes she felt them pull away no matter how far away from her they were. She got used to doing everything with her left hand. She watched the world though her left eye, the right one along with the rest of her right, ugly face hid behind her hair. And yet she could never completely hid her second half and sometimes when she saw how beautiful the other girls looked with their hair pulled back and their bodies with soft pink skin in light dresses she cursed the fate that decided to make her ugly.

But despite all of that, Hela knew one thing for sure: she would never hurt anybody. After all, how would it help her? They would all just hate her more and her face wouldn't change.

They found Loki in the middle of a conversation with Jormungandr. He trailed over Loki's shoulders, a small, tin, about a yard long snake with dark green scales. His black coral-like eyes left the eyes of their father and turned to the visitors. When he saw Thor he lifted his chin slightly, but none could be sure if it was a greeting or an expression of displeasure. That was undoubtedly his intention.

"Brother," Loki smiled insincerely. "Why are you here?"

"It's your daughter, Loki," answered Thor and pushed Hela forwards as if to make sure that Loki sees her. "She acted in an utterly inappropriate manner. She physically attacked one of her companions, Inger. And then as if that wasn't enough, she even had the imprudence to lie right into my eyes about it even though everyone had seen her do it."

Hela was silent. She wanted to defend herself but she kept silent. She felt Loki's eyes on her. Then her father looked up at Thor and calmly answered.

"Alright, I'll talk to her. You can go now."

Thor frowned. "I'm afraid that won't be enough, Loki," he said sternly. "Hela needs to learn how to behave and so far I haven't noticed you being able to explain it to her."

Loki turned his head to one side and stayed silent for a moment. Jormungandr's hiss cut though the silence that followed.

"I will talk to her," Loki repeated coldly, firmly. Thor hesitated for a few more moments but finally he just turned around and left.

"Hela," said her father. His tone changed, it was much more sensitive and soft now that they were alone. Jormungandr slid from Loki's shoulders and trailed away. "Why did you attack Inger? Had she insulted you? Hurt you?"

"I haven't done anything," she said.

Loki smiled at that. He seemed to relax when Hela said it. He knew she's not lying. "Of course. What happened?" he asked gently.

But this was an answer Hela didn't know. Once again she tried to recall what had happened.

"She was insulting me," she said carefully, "but I didn't mind. I knew she will tire of it soon. They she came towards me and brushed my hair away from my face. And then... I don't know. Then something happened and she was on the ground, crying... The others said I kicked her and beat her and that I was laughing while doing it, but that's not true!" Hela looked up to her father to make sure he believed her.

Loki was frowning in thought. He didn't show any sights that would tell her if he believes or not. But he didn't stop her, so perhaps he did. Hela watched him quietly, hoping that soon, in a minute, in a moment he will explain what had happened and she won't have to be afraid anymore.

He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face behind her ear. Nothing happened, but neither one of them was surprised.

"Are you sure she didn't anger you?" he asked.

Hela's blood ran cold. He didn't believe her. "Yes, I'm sure!" she insisted but felt tears filling her eyes. Did he really think she's some sort of monster who enjoys hurting others?"

His hand cupped her damaged cheek, the one everybody shied away from. "Hela, I trust you. I know that you're not lying to me. It's just that I have no idea how to explain what has happened."

Hela nodded grimly. In that case nobody could explain it.

* * *

A week went by and everyone lost interest in the accident. Thor didn't even come to visit them to make sure that Hela learned a lesson. Inger never again dared come close to Hela and was much more careful with insults now. Hela started hoping that it was nothing – just a momentary weakness - and that it will never happen again.

Until the day she heard Jormungandr's cry on her way from a dancing lesson.

Her younger brother wasn't crying. Not really. His snake shape didn't allow him to make the same sounds at human body would. But just like Fenrir he learned to communicate on a different sound frequency that only members of their family learned to hear. Many times were Loki or Hela mocked when they answered a question nobody else could hear.

She ran towards the source of the cry. There were two warriors standing in the middle of the road towards training fields. One of them was pressing Jormungandr to the ground with a foot. Jormungandr was squirming desperately but couldn't move. The other man held a sword in his hand, lowering its point to the snake body.

"Think he will grow back if I cut him in half?"

Hela stopped and stared at them in horror. Jormungandr was but a child! Why would they want to hurt him? He'd never do anything to them!

She lifted a hand, the clean and healthy one. She wanted to tell them to let him go and leave. She wanted to explain that he's good and that he'd never hurt anybody despite being a snake. She simply wanted for them to leave him alone.

Instead what left her mouth was an unintelligible cry. She noticed that she had lifted into the air her dark, deformed hand too even though she couldn't remember ever wanting to do it. Her vision went black, as if she was falling in darkness and she had no idea what was going on. She tried to fight back, regain control, but she couldn't. There wasn't enough strength left in her, the darkness was so thick and strong...

Then it was over and she realized that Jormungandr is pressing to her legs and looking up at her with concern. The warriors were lying on the ground at her feet, unmoving. For a few seconds she just stood there and stared at their unconscious bodies.

Then her own consciousness faded out like a burnt candle and she fell down right next to them.

* * *

She woke up in her chambers at the highest floor of a tower. For a moment she hoped it was all just a dream but soon she had to let go of the prospect. Her dreams were filled with screams, tears and fire. This was different.

She remembered two bodies lying at her feet and shivered.

_What killed them? Was it her? Is she a murderer? But how? How?!_ She began to cry. She was so confused and lost. She wished someone would finally explain to her what's going on. What was the strange dark presence that she had felt earlier in her body.

The door opened and a great dark wolf entered her room. He hesitated at the door but then he continued on into the chamber. He stopped in front of her bed and look at her quietly.

Hela tried to stop crying and wipe away the tears but it didn't work. She kept whimpering miserably, hugging her knees to her chest with a terrible thought in her mind. _They will exile me. Everyone thinks I'm a murderer even though I haven't done anything!_

She heard Fenrir's claws scratch on the floor as he finally crossed the distance between them and then she felt his soft fur. When he spoke, his voice was so soft she barely heard it. "It's okay, Hela. Everything's alright."

She buried her face in his pelt and managed to quiet down more sobs that threatened to escape her. "What happened?" she asked desperately.

"No one knows for sure," Fenrir answered. Her older brother was a quiet type, studying carefully everything he encountered. When it came to words he never said things he didn't know for sure, so he avoided speaking if there was nothing to say.

"Not even dad?"

Just like Hela, Fenrir deeply respected their father. After the death of their mother, whom Fenrir adored with his whole heart, clung her brother to their father, trying to imitate him in everything. But to succeed he lacked Loki's charisma.

"No one," he answered bitterly and it seemed he hated to admit that their father isn't flawless. Hela sighed. How she wished there was an easy explanation...

The memory of the two bodies stayed in her mind.

"Fenrir, the warriors," she whispered. "Are they dead?"

Fenrir pulled back so he would be able to look into her eyes. "Don't worry, they are not. They only suddenly grew unnaturally old. We assume that Idunn's apples of youth will fix it. But about that what had caused it..." Fenrir paused for a moment and she knew from his gaze that he wasn't sure how she's going to react. "All mages agreed that it was death magic."

Hela felt cold and heat spreading though her body in turns. She didn't know what to think. She wanted to keep crying until the problem disappeared.

"In that case we're lucky they didn't die," she noted in an empty voice. She was glad that nobody was harmed but just now she couldn't gather all the energy needed to express happiness. Somewhere in the back of her mind was something nagging at her, like a barely hearable sound but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

Then suddenly someone screamed: „They deserved to die! I want them dead!" and her throat ached. Fenrir jerked back and looked at her in surprise.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

Hela didn't understand why is he looking at her. "That wasn't me," she objected. She was happy that they aren't dead. Why would she say that? No, it couldn't have been her.

Fenrir stayed quiet, watching her silently. The fear that Hela almost managed to shoo away returned. Somewhere inside she felt something that didn't belong there. She wanted Fenrir to come closer again and repeat that everything's alright. But even if he wished to comfort her, Fenrir wasn't a liar.

"I'll bring dad," he said instead and ran out of the room.

But even after he had left Hela wasn't left alone. Someone of something was in the room with her. In her own head. She brushed her hair aside because she didn't have to hide when she was alone and got up from the bed, heading for a mirror hanging on the wall. Before she could even catch a glimpse of the familiar half-ugly face her vision went dark and she heard glass shattering.

The next thing she knew she was sitting on the floor between pieces of broken glass and her arms were red from blood spilling from cuts she didn't know the origin of. She started crying again immediately. At that moment the door opened again and Fenrir returned with their father.

Loki came to her and sat down on the floor next to her. Her hair fell back down to its accustomed place over the right half of her face but this time nobody brushed it away.

"Hela, Fenrir told me what had happened." As he was speaking, Loki took her arm into his hand, his fingers a golden glow. Hela's bloody cuts started healing. "On our way upstairs we both heard you screaming how much you hate them and want to kill them. Look at me and tell me what is the meaning of this."

His tone was understanding but with a firm undertone that she would never dare oppose. Besides, Hela finally knew the answer. Opposing wouldn't make sense.

"That wasn't me. It was all Hel."

"Who?"

Hela was sure she was going to be sick. Her hand was trembling uncontrollably when she lifted it to the right side of her face and brushed the hair aside. She pointed with her damaged hand at her damaged face and repeated: "Hel."

Loki understood but wasn't ready to accept it as the answer. "Are you sure? I understand that this is hard for you and you'd prefer to pretend that it isn't part of you but your body is all you, it's not half somebody else..."

Hela shook her head.

Loki didn't say anything, just lifted his eyebrow to encourage her to explain it.

"It always feels like I've closed my eyes just for a second and the world changes around me in the meantime. It's like being unconscious. I don't know where she came from nor why can't I control her but I know she prefers my right hand," Hela looked at her right, wrinkled hand covered in now-healed cuts. "I feel her inside me. We are separated but I'm aware of her somewhere in the depths of my mind. And I know she's _evil_, dad. She's a monster."

No one objected.

Fenrir sat down on her other side and touched her gently in a silent support.

"She... would have killed them if I hadn't taken control," Hela sighed.

"Can you do that?" demanded Loki. "Can you control Hel?"

Hela shook her head. She felt weak and hopeless. She wanted to sleep and never wake up again. Finally she had the explanation she yearned for and feared. She believed she will go mad if she won't wake up from this nightmare soon.

"I can't do anything," she said. "I'm sorry. I can't protect you from her."

* * *

Hela knew that while she's hidden away in her chambers the whole Asgard pours out its hatred on her father. Just like countless other things that she had no control over it made her miserable. But that seemed to be the smallest of her problems.

Again and again she found herself awakened into a situation caused by Hel. At first she wanted to pretend that it has nothing to do with her and refused to listen when someone tried to tell her what had occurred. But quickly her fears overcame her denial. Whenever she came to, her first reaction was to ask: "What did Hel do?" And tears. The tears always came on their own, refusing to leave her alone.

The more such incidents happened, the more was Hela sure that Hel is taking complete control over her. Often she was aware of feelings that weren't her own. She reacted in a way she never expected herself to be able to. Hel felt satisfaction whenever she saw someone suffer. She enjoyed hurting and destroying. Hela in comparison seemed like a sentimental cry-baby.

When she slept even now her dreams were always about her mother's death. Again and again she saw her mother die in flames despite never actually seeing it in her life. The images were created by her imagination based on what their father told them. At first, Loki didn't want them to know what has happened but Fenrir refused to believe that Angrboda is dead unless he heard how she died. So when she woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare she knew that Hel is angry and wishes to avenge her mother even though she had no idea who would she label as her killers. None killed Angrboda, it was just an accident – or that was what Loki had said, though the way he gazed towards Odin's palace told a different story. Be it as it may, Hel didn't know who to punish so she remained angry and helpless.

Because of the threats that Hel screamed whenever she took control it was decided that someone should always keep an eye on her. To avoid that, Hela rarely left her room. From time to time Sigyn managed to drag her out for a drawing lesson or two, always accompanying her there. Jormungandr spent a lot of time with her because he didn't attend combat training like Fenrir. Their eldest brother wolf sometimes walked with her outside, when she allowed herself. Loki didn't have time to spare for her. Whether he was turning the Asgardian library upside down in a futile effort to find some information about Hela's curse and a spell to undo it or fought with Thor and Odin over whether Hela should be still tolerated as a citizen of Asgard, she knew he does everything for her. She was almost ashamed of it. Loki always wanted his children to be strong and self-sufficient. She believed she'd failed him in that matter. But no matter who she tried to talk to about it they all answered with her own words: "That wasn't you. It was all Hel." But despite her lack of control over Hel, Hela felt responsible. She hated her dark half but in the end she always discovered that she hates the light one just as much.

At first, Hela was scared that Hel will hurt them but luckily it seemed that her darker side respected her family member just like Hela loved them. That was a spark of luck in a long avalanche of disasters. When in company of her brothers or father Hela lost control only for short moments, finding out each time that Hel only spoke or tried to break something before disappearing.

For Sigyn it was worse. She had to suffer harsh words and treats from Hel.

"Don't come near me! Just act like I don't exist!" screamed Hela hysterically once after she had lost control on their way to a drawing lesson and then Sigyn told her that Hel screamed at her and raised her hand as if to hurt her, luckily falling back before anything could happen.

"I won't do that, Hela," said Sigyn gently.

"Please! Sigyn, please! I care for you, I... I don't want Hel to hurt you!" sobbed Hela. She curled up into a ball and wished she could disappear. "Hel cares- cared a lot about my mother. I'm scared, Sigyn... Scared that she will hurt you because of it."

"I understand, Hela," answered Sigyn quietly in a tone that sounded lightly pained. "I know I'm not your mother. That none of you sees me that way. I'm just your friend, alright? Your and Loki's and your brothers'. I don't want you or Hel or any of you to think that I'm trying to replace her if you don't wish it."

Perhaps her words calmed Hel. She never stopped insulting Sigyn, but at least she never again lifted her hand to attack.

A few months have gone by but to Hela it felt like her entire life. One evening Jormungandr couldn't keep an eye on her, because Fenrir and his friend Tyr took him with them on an adventure. Hela knew Fenrir and Tyr often went on quests, just like Thor sometimes decided to bring along Loki. But she tried not to be jealous and not to think about how much fun they are having while she's alone in the tower. Many times she wished to come with them, but to think that Hel would take over her in a critical moment and something would go wrong... No, she had to forget it.

So she stayed alone in her room. In her mind she felt sparks of anger and hate coming from Hel that never left her nowadays. She knew that there's a bigger chance of Hel destroying something when she was alone and there was no one to stop her, but she convinced herself nothing worse could happen.

She tried to read, as she often did. It lasted about an hour, but then she blinked and the book turned to ashes in her hands. Once again she felt tears coming to her eyes, but she pushed them back before they could escape her. She knew that Hel is happy because of the destroyed book. It made Hela sad but she decided she won't cry because of a small accident.

She prepared a paper and colors and she just started drawing when she heard a knock at the door. The fall into the darkness was long this time and no matter what she did, she couldn't fight it.

A servant entered the chamber and Hel looked up to him from her drawing. He was a young man, older then her but definitely younger than her father. She saw him a few times but that was before, when she was still only Hela, not Hela and Hel. She knew he serves the food and cleans the table afterwards. She wasn't sure if he does anything else. Right know he only brought her dinner instead of Sigyn who did it usually. He moved over the room swiftly, put the golden plane on the table and turned to leave when her voice made him stop.

"Can I ask you for something?" she said, but her voice didn't sound like it sounded whenever Hela spoke. Hel spat the words like poison. This was first in a long time when she spoke instead of screaming.

She smiled at him, while the paper she was drawing on before burned under her fingers, the colors melting.

"O-of course, lady Hela," he answered with a trained pleasantry, his attitude showing that he would prefer to go away immediately. "What do you wish of me?"

Hela got up and headed for the window. It was a glamorous thing and there was an excellent view of Odin's palace from it.

"Here, I want to show you something," she explained and laughed. The man jumped a little at her laugh but he was obedient enough to follow her. Hel stopped at the window and pointed outside.

The servant looked in that direction but he couldn't see anything. He leaned forward, looking harder, trying to find something out of ordinary. Then he felt Hel pushing him and heard her mad laughter. Then the fall embraced him.

When he has fallen, Hela's fall stopped. The world returned to her and she stayed still for a moment, looking at the open window in front of her. Her shock was so great that at first she didn't know what it all indicates. Then she understood and screamed in terror.

She stood, tears streaming down her face, afraid to approach the window. She wanted to look and see that nothing had happened, that Hel only made a few steps across the room and done nothing, but she was terrified of finding out that her fears have come true.

She wasn't sure how long she was just standing there, crying, too craven to face the actions of her alternative personality. When she finally stopped trembling long enough to make the last step, she believed she felt like throwing up.

Down deep under the tower laid the broken body of a young servant. There was no doubt that he was dead. No one could survive such a long fall.

Hela couldn't move. Her head was aching, she felt the darkness inside her cheering and she wanted to scream and scream until it all disappeared like a bad dream. She wanted the world to stop, she wanted something to cure her, she wanted an end. She wished that Hel died and her mother came back to life and everything was just like before when her world was still alright. Was there not a solution?!

And then she saw it. The only answer. The only way out.

Hela threw herself forward, though the window. This time, she welcomed the fall.

* * *

It was Loki who found her under the tower. He ran up to her and when he kneeled next to her for the first time ever since Angrboda's death she saw clear pain in his eyes that he didn't attempt to hide.

Hela was conscious, mad with pain and could hardly breathe though her cries, but she was alive. Loki brought her back into the tower to his room, putting her to sleep with a spell and sat over her throughout the whole night, his hands glowing with golden light. He renewed her muscles and broken bones, not once moving away from his work, not talking to anyone.

It was a beginning of a new day when Hela woke up. Loki was sitting on the bed next to her, and it almost seemed he didn't change his position though the whole night. When he looked at her, his gaze was stern. This would usually make Hela meek, especially when she knew she had done something but this time she was overwhelmed with her own problems. How was it possible that she's still in this world? She didn't want to be here!

"Hela, tell me the truth... Was it Hel who decided for you to jump off the tower?" asked Loki.

Hela didn't pretend she could lie to her father without him calling her out on it. Besides, there wasn't a point in hiding. She shook her head.

"No," she said. "It was me."

"Why?" His tone was cold.

"Because of what Hel did," she said, completely positive that it must be obvious. "It was... the only thing I could do. Hel _killed_ somebody. The whole time it was obliged to happen and now it did. She finally managed to do it. Or... She finally decided to do it. I think that she was able to do it all along because I never had any control over her. So I made a decision of my own."

She made a pause and then, with her eyes glued to the floor, she finally said: "I didn't die."

"No," agreed Loki in a whisper.

"Why not?" she asked and her voice broke. Just a minute more and she will start crying again, she knew it. She almost thought she should have run out of tears long ago, but somehow she still hasn't yet. "Why not, when he did? When he wanted to live and I didn't?"

Loki answered calmly: "It's because you're a goddess, like me or Thor. A god withstands much more then a mere citizen of Asgard."

Hela hid her face in her hands and her scornful tone suggested she doesn't believe him: "A goddess of _what_?"

"Of Life, Hela," said Loki and if he lied no one would be able to tell.

* * *

Helheim was a cold dark realm. In its center stood a huge palace, similar to Odin's palace in Asgard, only dark instead of golden. Everyone should be able to realize at first glimpse that this wasn't a good place for a young, scared girl.

Every since Odin with his warriors drove Hela out of Asgard and cursed her, so she was able to leave the realm only to bring in souls of the dying, Hela was fading away. Hel didn't take control over her for seconds or minutes, but whole days or weeks. Before, a random observer would call Hela the main personality and Hel the second one. Now they were equal.

Loki once told Odin about it. He wanted the Allfather to admit that Helheim is hurting Hela, changing her into a monster. He dared hope that there is a chance for Odin to take back her banishment. Instead, his father said: "You see? She's _balanced_ now." Like that would change anything. Like he did it for her well being. Loki couldn't believe him.

In the throne room, which Hela avoided but Hel enjoyed visiting, opened a small gap in space. It closed once Loki stepped though. He sighed and looked around. There was no source of light in the dark room and behind the high gothic windows were visible grey clouds covering the sky. Yet once his eyes got used to the darkness, he recognized a slim figure near one of the windows.

"Look, what we have here," sneered Hel without looking at him. "A guest."

Loki didn't answer. He crossed his arms over his chest and shot her a meaningful glare. Hel turned towards him and laughed without a reason, as she so often did. The opposite of Hela who cried.

"We haven't seen each other for a long time," continued Hel. "Why are you here? Did come to visit her?" Hel spat. She didn't respect Hela, despite being her second half.

Loki smiled, despite the lack of humor in it. "I have a reason to believe that the offer I have for you will interest both of you."

"Did you manage to find something that Hela and I share our views on?" laughed Hel. "Liar."

Loki's expression remained neutral, but the tightness in his eyes suggested that he has no intention of suffering insults from his daughter.

"Be a good girl and apologize," he said simply and as he lifted his hand nonchalantly to check his nails his fingers glowed threateningly.

Hel started laughing madly, hysterically. "Are you denying you ever lied? What about the day I killed that stupid servant? Are you saying you didn't lie when you said I'm a Goddess of Life?! Since our birth everyone knew – you, Odin, everyone – that we are the Goddess of Death! But you probably found it amusing to lie to us and give the whiny Hela childish hopes!"

Hel stopped screaming when she realized that her words have no effect. Loki wasn't angry. He didn't even use his magic as he threatened before. He was calmly standing there and waiting for her to finish.

"I didn't lie," he said then, affection showing clearly in his sad smile. "Hela has always been the Goddess of Life. It's only you, Hel, who's the Goddess of Death."

The slender dark-haired girl stood in silence for a short while. When her eyes filled with tears he knew that the personalities have exchanged.

"I'm sorry," said Hela immediately, as soon as she caught her breath. "I don't know exactly what Hel did or said, but... I'm sorry."

This time, Loki's smile was real. "Good girl," was all he said.

Hela's gaze was meek and confused. When her eyes left his face she at last realized where they are so she suggested: "Walk with me?"

"I hoped so," answered Loki, with mischievous smile on his face. "But perhaps not in the same way you mean it."

"I don't understand," she said, her tone apologetic. Even after all this time the desire to listen to and please her father stayed strong within her.

"It took me a long time and I had to do a few horrible things," – he made a face, - "to get the information but at the long last I found who I was looking for."

Hela still had no idea what is he talking about, yet she felt fire igniting somewhere deep inside her. One thing she knew for sure: this wasn't an ordinary visit. Loki has gone hunting and he intended to take her with him. That has never happened before. Her excitement overwhelmed her fears.

"Who?"

"Those who, by Odin's command, killed your mother."

Hela choked on a sob.

"What do you think; should we visit them and return the kindness?" asked Loki, his eyes shining with vengeance. In his calm, satisfied tone were barely noticeable traces of pain and sorrow that Hela would never notice if she too didn't feel them.

For a moment she almost felt happy when she returned his smile. Then she closed her eyes and for the first time in her life she gave in to the darkness, allowing it to take control.

Hel opened her eyes and bursting into laughter. It sounded almost relaxed.

Loki reopened the portal and when he stepped through they both followed him, Hel and Hela.


End file.
